Edinburgh Festival `99: Comedy Review 'Dominic Holland'

Dominic Holland

Pleasance Over The Road, 0131-556 6550, to 30 Aug

ONE OF the rules for today's touchy-feely comedians seems to be "If in doubt, slag off the wife." You just know that these people are the game-show hosts of tomorrow. fell into this trap more than once, though I wouldn't want to thrust the Blankety Blank job on him just yet. It's true, he is preoccupied with largely domestic and middle- class concerns - DIY, cars and parenthood - though his humour is amiably self-deprecating. While other men fix cars and build garden sheds, Holland wallows in a mire of inadequacy. He is baffled by technology and children (his kids' hyperactivity has led him to name them after mobile phones) and it pains him to admit that, owing to his diminutive stature, he is forced to buy extra-small trousers at Gap. Holland is an engaging character. Despite the hackneyed subject matter, his observations are sharp and his voice is as soothing as a warm cup of cocoa. You just long for him to have a stab at something more challenging.